Yes ma'am! Two bags full, as a matter of fact.
Each spring, sheep herders have the adult sheep sheared - partly to harvest the wool and partly because sheep don't need their winter coats any longer. There are a few people in the area who shear sheep for a living...yet when we purchased the sheep last year as lambs, after viewing the shearing job of the other ewes in the flock, we decided that we could do as well as that individual.
Fast forward one year. Sheep shears purchased? Check. Watch videos on YouTube of how to shear a sheep? Check. Blades sharpened? Nope, but we figured they would be good enough for two ewes and as the temperature was climbing, we needed to get it done. (I had a time scheduled to get the blades sharpened, but the gentleman called and said his equipment needed replacing last minute. It was going to be a couple more weeks before he could get it done.) Two neighbors offered to take the wool so it wouldn't be wasted. I can't wait to see what they do with it!
The day arrived for shearing. We got cocky and set up a mini competition - whoever removes the most wool with the least amount of blood, regardless of time, wins the milkshake of his/her choice. All the guys online posting shearing videos were professionals from New Zealand or Australia and they made it look so easy! Flip the ewe on her haunches, move her head around with your arm, and zip zip until the wool is gone. Piece of cake, right?
Maybe not.
Chadwick's brother, Stephen, was in town and wanted to come watch the circus. We are indebted to him as he wound up babysitting for two hours while we sheared. Chadwick started with Thyme, alone, and did an amazing job. It's backbreaking work to stand over a 100 pound animal with a large, sharp, vibrating tool in one hand. The shears are quite sharp, and unfortunately, she ended up with several large, superficial cuts. Luckily, we know a good vet who used our bottle of SuperGlue to mend the damage. She was released, the clippers oiled, blades replaced (for the fourth time - guess we should have waited to get them sharpened), and Rosemary was "up."
She looked like an entirely different species! From fat and wooly to....well, skinny with large ears.
I started the process and sheared long enough to have my picture taken. We then decided enough was enough and tag-teamed the second ewe. Best decision ever! As he was familiar with the blades, Chadwick sheared and I restrained. Yes, it was still back-breaking, but went much more smoothly with the two of us working together. Despite sitting in the dirt, covered in lanolin-drenched wool, and working by the light of a single bulb in the barn, I loved the opportunity to work side-by-side with my husband. We vowed to shear together in the future and set aside lofty goals of shearing alone.
As for the bet, Chadwick won. I got brownie points for speaking with a muddled Australian-British accent. No points were awarded for costume as neither of us wore wife-beater tank tops. As we cleaned up, Chadwick said with a tired smile, "Boy, I can't wait to do that again next year!"
